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I Took the iPhone 15 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max to Yosemite for a Camera Test

Do the latest Apple phone and cameras capture the epic majesty of Yosemite National Park better than a two-year-old iPhone? We find out.

This past week, I took Apple’s new iPhone 15 Pro Max on an epic adventure to California’s Yosemite National Park.

As a professional photographer, I take tens of thousands of photos every year. Much of my work is done inside my San Francisco photo studio, but I also spend a considerable amount of time shooting on location. I still use a DSLR, but my iPhone 13 Pro is never far from me.

Like most people nowadays, I don’t upgrade my phone every year or even two. Phones have reached a point where they are good at performing daily tasks for three or four years. And most phone cameras are sufficient for capturing everyday special moments to post on social media or share with friends.

Taft Point at sunset, shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max
Taft Point at sunset, shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max

But maybe, like me, you’re in the mood for something shiny and new like the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I wanted to find out how my 2-year-old iPhone 13 Pro and its 3x optical zoom would do against the 15 Pro Max and its new 5x optical zoom. And what better place to take them than on an epic adventure to Yosemite, one of the crown jewels of America’s National Park System and an iconic destination for outdoor lovers.

Yosemite is absolutely, massively impressive.

el-cap-2x.jpg
el-cap-2x.jpg

The main camera is still the best camera

The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s main camera with its wide angle lens is the most important camera on the phone. It has a new larger 48-megapixel sensor that had no problem being my daily workhorse for a week.

Sunrise at Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park
Sunrise at Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park

The larger sensor means the camera can now capture more light and render colors more accurately. And the improvements are visible. Not only do photos look richer in bright light but also in low-light scenarios.

In the images below, taken at sunrise at Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park, notice how the 15 Pro Max’s photo has better fidelity, color and contrast in the foreground leaves. Compare that against the pronounced edge sharpening of the mountaintops in the 13 Pro image.

The 15 Pro Max’s camera captures excellent detail in bright light, including more texture, like in rocky landscapes, more detail in the trees and more fine-grained color.

Sunrise at Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park
Sunrise at Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park

A new 15 Pro Max feature aimed at satisfying a camera nerd’s creative itch uses the larger main sensor combined with the A17 Pro chip to turn the 24mm equivalent wide angle lens into essentially four lenses. You can switch the main camera between 1x, 1.2x, 1.5x and 2x, the equivalent of 24mm, 28mm, 35mm and 50mm prime lens – four of the most popular prime lens lengths. In reality, the 15 Pro Max takes crops of the sensor and using some clever processing to correct lens distortion.

In use, it’s nice to have these crop options, but for most people they will likely be of little interest.

Climbers gather around the famous Midnight Lightning boulder
Climbers gather around the famous Midnight Lightning boulder

I find the 15 Pro Max’s native 1x view a little wide and enjoy being able to change it to default to 1.5x magnification. I went into Settings, tapped on Camera, then on Main Camera and changed the default lens to a 35mm look. Now, every time I open the camera, it’s at 1.5x and I can just focus on framing and taking the photo instead of zooming in.

Another nifty change that I highly recommend is to customize the Action button so that it opens the camera when you long press it. The Action button replaces the switch to mute/silence your phone that has been on every iPhone since the original. You can program the Action button to trigger a handful of features or shortcuts by going into the Settings app and tapping Action button. Once you open the camera, the Action button can double as a physical camera shutter button.

Hibiki managed to climb the incredibly difficult Midnight Lightning boulder, one of the world's most famous bouldering problems
Hibiki managed to climb the incredibly difficult Midnight Lightning boulder, one of the world's most famous bouldering problems

The dynamic range and detail are noticeably better in photos I took with the 15 Pro Max main camera in just about every lighting condition.

There are fewer blown out highlights and nicer, blacker blacks with less noise. In particular, there is more tonal range and detail in the whites. I noticed this particularly when it came to how the 15 Pro Max captured direct sunlight on climbers or in the shadow detail in the rock formations.

Read more: iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Smartphone Shootout

Overall, the 15 Pro Max’s main camera is simply far better and consistent at exposures than on the 13 Pro.

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Take a Look

See all photos

The iPhone 15 Pro Max 5x telephoto camera

Climbers at Swan Slab in the Yosemite Valley. Rich but natural colors and finely rendered textures in the rock.
Climbers at Swan Slab in the Yosemite Valley. Rich but natural colors and finely rendered textures in the rock.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 5x telephoto camera with an f/2.8 aperture and an equivalent focal length of 120mm.

The 13 Pro’s 3x camera, introduced in 2021, was a huge step up from previous models and still gives zoomed-in images a cinematic feel from the lens’ depth compression. The 15 Pro Max’s longer telephoto lens, combined with a larger sensor, accentuates those cinematic qualities even further, resulting in images with a rich array of color and a wider tonal range.

All this translates to a huge improvement in light capture and a noticeable step up in image quality for the iPhone’s zoom lens.

You can see the improved detail and range evident in the highlights of the water with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as a warmer, more realistic color rendering.
You can see the improved detail and range evident in the highlights of the water with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as a warmer, more realistic color rendering.

I found that the 15 Pro Max’s telephoto camera yields better photos of subjects farther away like mountains, wildlife and the stage at a live concert.

Shot on iPhone 13 Pro Max at 136mm, left, iPhone 15 Pro Max at 120mm, right, you can see the exposure, range, and natural color rendering improvements on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Shot on iPhone 13 Pro Max at 136mm, left, iPhone 15 Pro Max at 120mm, right, you can see the exposure, range, and natural color rendering improvements on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

A combination of optical stabilization and 3D sensor-shift make the 15 Pro Max’s tele upgrade experience easier to use by steadying the image capture. A longer lens typically means there’s a greater chance of blurred images due to your hand shaking. Using such a long focal length magnifies every little movement of the camera.

I found that the 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilization system does wonders for shooting distant subjects and minimizing that camera shake.

The image below was shot with the 5x zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro Max looking up the Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View. It is an incredibly crisp telephoto image.

5x zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro Max looking up the Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View.
5x zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro Max looking up the Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View.

For reference, the image below was shot on the 15 Pro Max from the same location using the ultra Wide lens. I am about five miles away from that V-shaped dip at the end of the valley.

A view of the Yosemite Valley from the Tunnel View observation point, shot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max using the Ultra Wide lens.
A view of the Yosemite Valley from the Tunnel View observation point, shot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max using the Ultra Wide lens.

The iPhone still suffers from lens flare

Lens flares, along with the green dot that seems to be in all iPhone images taken into direct sunlight, continue to be an issue on the iPhone 15 Pro Max despite the new lens coatings.

Apple says the main camera lens has been treated for anti-glare, but I didn’t notice any improvements. In some cases, images have even greater lens flares than photos from previous iPhone models.

Notice the repeated halo effect surrounding the sun on the images below shot at Lower Yosemite Falls.

As the sun pokes over the top of Dewey Point we seen some lens flare and the 'green dot' appear.
As the sun pokes over the top of Dewey Point we seen some lens flare and the 'green dot' appear.
The signature iPhone lens flare dot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max
The signature iPhone lens flare dot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max
Lens flare on iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max
Lens flare on iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max

The 15 Pro Max and Smart HDR 5

Lower Yosemite Falls, shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max Main camera
Lower Yosemite Falls, shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max Main camera

The 15 Pro Max’s new A17 Pro chip brings with it greater computational power (Apple calls it Smart HDR 5), which delivers more natural looking images compared with the 13 Pro, especially in very bright and very dark scenes. There is a noticeably better, more subtle handling of color with a less heavy-handed approach that balances between brightening the shadows and darkening highlights.

You can see clearly the warmer, more natural looking light in 15 Pro Max photo below, pushing back against the typical blue light rendering that is common in over-processed HDR images. At the same time, Apple’s implementation hasn’t swayed too far in the opposite direction and refrains from over saturating orange colors that frequently troubles digital corrections on phones.

bridalveil-2x.jpg
bridalveil-2x.jpg

Coming from an iPhone 13 Pro Max, I noticed the background corrections during computational processing on the 15 Pro Max tend to result in more discrete and balanced images. Apple appears to have dialed back its bombastic pursuit of pushing computational photography right in our faces like with the 13 Pro and fine tuned the 15 Pro Max’s image pipeline to lean toward a more realistic reflection of your subject.

It’s a welcome change.

The 15 Pro Max shines in night mode 

Self portrait shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max mounted on a tripod on top of Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park.
Self portrait shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max mounted on a tripod on top of Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park.

Night mode shots from the 15 Pro Max look similar to the ones from my 13 Pro Max, but there are minor improvements in the exposure that result in images with a better tonal range. The 15 Pro Max’s larger main camera sensor captures photos with less noise in the blacks and a better overall exposure compared to the 13 Pro Max.

Colors in 15 Pro Max night mode images appear more accurate, realistic, and have a wider dynamic range. Notice the detail in the photo below of El Capitan and The Dawn Wall. The 15 Pro Max even captures detail in the car lights snaking through the valley floor road.

Looking down into the Yosemite Valley from the top of Sentinel Dome at night.
Looking down into the Yosemite Valley from the top of Sentinel Dome at night.

Overall, night mode images continue to look soft and over-processed. Night mode gives snaps a dream-like vibe and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. These photos are brighter and have less image noise than those shot on my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Half Dome seen from atop Sentinel Dome at night, shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max Main camera lens, more than an hour and a half after sunset.
Half Dome seen from atop Sentinel Dome at night, shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max Main camera lens, more than an hour and a half after sunset.

15 Pro Max vs. 13 Pro Max: the bottom line

By this point, it should be no surprise that the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s cameras are a significant improvement over the ones on the 13 Pro Max. If photography is a priority for you, I recommend upgrading to it from the 13 Pro Max or earlier.

If you’re coming from an iPhone 14 Pro, the improvements seem less dramatic, and it’s likely not a worth the upgrade. I’m incredibly excited to continue carrying the iPhone 15 Pro Max in my pocket to Yosemite or just around my home.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 28, #421

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 421 for April 28.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Today’s NYT Strands puzzle has a very strange, long spangram, but the answers themselves are short and pretty easy to solve. If you need hints and answers, read on. 

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: My bad!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Uh-oh!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • NUMB, TOLE, POLE, POLES, SPIT, PITS, SOPPY, BREW, TALE, DUMB, DUMBS, ALTER, LETS, BALE, BALES.

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you’ve got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • SLIP, SPILL, FALTER, TOPPLE, BLUNDER, STUMBLE.

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is WHOOPSIEDAISY.To find it, start with the W that’s four letters down on the far right row, and wind across, and then down.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 28, #687

Hints and answers for Connections for April 28, #687.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.


As an ’80s girl, I immediately spotted the four words in the yellow category of today’s Connections puzzle. I definitely had at least three of those products in my college apartment, so that was an easy solve. And since I read a lot of Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, the blue category came along pretty easily, too. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Bought at Ulta, maybe.

Green group hint: Not fancy.

Blue group hint: Nancy Drew would spot these.

Purple group hint: Yawn.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Hair products.

Green group: Austere.

Blue group: Clues at a crime scene.

Purple group: Weary.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is hair products. The four answers are gel, mousse, spray and wax.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is austere. The four answers are bare, plain, simple and spare.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is clues at a crime scene. The four answers are fiber, fingerprint, hair and tire mark.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is weary. The four answers are bore, drain, exhaust and tire.

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Technologies

Step Out of the Shadows. How to Turn Off Your iPhone’s Incognito Mode

The iPhone’s incognito mode is ideal for sensitive searches and avoiding targeted ads. But there are time when you may want to turn it off.

At a time when privacy and security have become hot topics, it’s smart to look at how you’re using protections built-in your phone. The iPhone’s private browsing, also known as incognito mode, serves as a digital cloak — allowing you to surf the web without leaving traces. Private browsing works on Apple’s Safari browser and some third-party browsers like Chrome.

There are a whole range of reasons to take advantage of incognito mode. You might be using a shared device, researching sensitive topics (maybe a surprise gift idea?) or dialing your privacy precautions up a notch by working to circumvent targeted ads or third-party cookies. This is when incognito mode becomes something of a confidante, and it gives you an added layer of privacy protection. 

But once you’ve finished, you might want to step out of incognito mode on your iPhone and allow your browser to remember your steps. For example, maybe you’re logged into your account on a retailer’s website and don’t want to have to log back in every time you visit the page. Let’s proceed with a step-by-step guide on how to exit incognito mode on an iPhone, using Safari and Chrome.

How to exit incognito mode on Safari

1. Open Safari: Launch the Safari browser on your iPhone. You’ll find its icon on the home screen.

2. Look for the Tabs button: At the bottom right corner of the screen, you’ll see a square icon overlapping another square. Tap on it. This button represents your open tabs.

3. View all tabs: Once you tap the Tabs button, you’ll see a screen displaying all your open tabs. These tabs might include regular browsing tabs, any Tab Groups you’ve made and any incognito tabs you’ve opened called Private Browsing.

4. Close incognito tabs: Swipe left on any private or incognito tabs you want to close. After closing all incognito tabs, you’re officially out of incognito mode! You’ll now be browsing in regular mode, and your browsing history will be saved. If you have too many tabs open and prefer not to close every single one, you can simply swipe left in the view all tabs screen from Private/incognito tabs to get back on regular mode. 

How to exit Incognito mode on Chrome on your iPhone

If you use Google’s Chrome browser, you’ll follow a familiar process to leave incognito mode.

1. Open Google Chrome: Launch the Chrome browser on your iPhone.

2. Look for the Tabs Button: At the bottom right corner of the screen, you’ll see a square icon with a number on it (if you have open tabs). Tap on it. This button represents your open tabs and the number corresponds with how many tabs you have open.

3. Leave Incognito mode: After tapping on the tabs button, you’ll be able to switch between incognito browsing or regular browsing by tapping the Incognito icon or the regular browsing icon. The Incognito icon is a pair of glasses and a fedora to resemble a secret disguise. To go back to browsing on regular mode, simply tap the square button with the number on it. 

How to permanently turn off private browsing on an iPhone

You can also remove the private browsing tab on Safari. In Settings under Screen Time, when you switch Web Content from «Unrestricted» to «Limit Adult Websites,» the iPhone reboots Safari and removes Private Browsing from the Tabs view. To get to the setting you open Settings, tap Screen Time, tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, tap Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content, select Web Content and tap Limit Adult Websites.

Remember, using incognito mode isn’t foolproof — it won’t hide your activity from your internet service provider or certain extensions. But it’s supposed to offer that extra layer of privacy when needed.

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